Paperboard or the like receptacle partition



Nov. 29, 1949 H. H. GOLDSTEIN PAPERBOARD OR THE LIKE RECEPTACLE PARTITION Filed Nov. 17, 1948 1 e I F lllilllilllllfliflfiri! llfflllfllllII!!!I!llllifllllllllllllflllll;

JNVENTOR. i-lfiRRY GOLDS TE 1 6L ATTORNEY mas.

Patented Nov. 29, 1949 PAPERBOARD OR THE LIKE RECEPTACLE PARTITION Harry H. Goldstein, North Arlington, Va.; Rose Hirschfeld Goldstein administratrix of said Harry H. Goldstein, deceased Application November 17, 1948, Serial No. 60,581

Claims. (Cl. 21731) This invention relates in general to partition structures and assemblages which are used in portable boxes or cases to provide individual cells or compartments for bottles, jars, and the like, containing beverages or other packaged goods.

The invention deals, more particularly, with improvements in the construction and arrangement of the members of such a partition in a manner which provides for relatively greater strength and increased durability of the partitions and which otherwise involves important savings in the assembly of the partitions and other costs of manufacture.

Various types of partitions made of paperboard, cardboard or the like, consist of a honeycomb arrangement provided by sets of partition members or strips extending substantially at right angles to each other and formed with slots along their adjacent edgesby which the sets of strips are secured together in intersecting relation in the completed partition. The slotted edge portions of the paperboard or cardboard strips are necessarily weak and fragile and subject to tearing all too easily in the areas adjacent the slots. Such partitions, therefore, have only a short period of satisfactory usage before they are so torn and mutilated that they are unsatisfactory and must be replaced. While the usual partitions are not expensive, they amount to a sizeable cost when used in great quantities, as by distributors of bottled beverages, for example, and consequently important savings are involved in the provision of a partition structure wherein the replacement requirements are minimized in any material way.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved paperboard or cardboard partition" structure of the kind described in which the strips comprising one set of partition members are wider than the other set and are provided with intermediate cutout areas which receive the other set of partition strips in an arrangement wherein each of all the strips is formed on both edges with continuous, imperforate, unbroken longitudinal edge portions which are relatively strong and durable and capable of greater wear and resistance against forces which otherwisewould tend to tear or mutilate the partition strips; the arrangement otherwise is such that the cutout areas in the wider strips include pairs of cooperating locking tongues or flaps that are received in spaced slots in the narrower strips to secure the strips together at their intersections in interlocked joints which prevent displacement of the strips in the completed partition either 2 when distended for use or when folded in flatwise condition for shipping, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide a partition structure of this character in which the cutouts in the wider strips comprise a pair of oppositely extending locking tongues which are received in spaced slots in the narrower strips in a manner whereby said oppositely extending tongues provide an equal and balanced locking action in the interlocked joint of the intersecting strips.

A further object of the invention is to provide a partition structure, as aforesaid, in which the oppositely extending tongues of the interlocked joints are adapted to permit a slight expansion in the joints which facilitates folding of the partition structure and otherwise provides for suitable enlargement of the partition cells to receive bottles of slightly larger size when necessary.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved partition structure having the foregoing advantages and new features of construction and which is readily adapted for mass production manufacture by existing machinery and equipment.

Further objects and advantages, and other new and useful features in the construction, arrangement and general combination of parts of the invention will be apparent as the following description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, in which like reference characters desi nate like elements throughout, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a partition structure in accordance with the invention as provided in a conventional bottle carrying case.

or box, represented in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the joints of the intersecting partition members and showing the details of the interlocking elements of the joint in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing portions of a pair of partition members in position to be assembled and illustrating the formation of the cutout and slotted areas therein to provide the interlocked joint shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an edge elevational view of portions of a pair of intersecting partition members in the process of assembly and shows the disposition of the locking tongues in the joint as the partition members are advanced to assembled relation;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the interlocked joint shown in Fig. 2 as taken on line -5 looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

6 is a sectional view of the interlocked joint as seen along line 66 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now, more particularly, to the drawings, theinventicn isshown, for illustrative purposes only, as provided in a partition structure within a box or case for shipping or transporting bottles, or the like. partition structure, designated generally P in Fig. 1, is shown as provided for carryingtwelve bottlesbut it will be understood that the principles of the invention are equally applicable to the con-- structicn of any similar or related type. of partition for accommodating any other selected number of bottles, jars, and. like articles made of glass, plastics and other frangible and brittle materials. The bottles and other articles prefer.- ably have a snug fit within the individual cells or .compartmentsof. the partition andbyutilizinga soft porous materialto. provide-the partitions, the.- bottles are. cushioned; and; spaced.- slightly apartfrom each. other. and. thereby effectively protected. againshbreakageduring. shipping and handling. The partitionstructure P is illustrated in connection.with.a..well.known.type of box.or bottle carrying-case. B, representedin dottedlines in. Fig. 1-, but. of. course,.the partitionv is readily providedin. any othersizeoor. form for any other. type of box or case, particularly existing; boxes andcases pistandard. and. conventional design.

The. partition; members. in .the..form of strips or. boards are. provided. from an -suitable material suchlas .cardboardpaperhoard, .fibreboard, or the like, the :thicknessnf which .is K selected according. to service neduirements, and the .size .and type :of; bottles or. other articleswith whichthe partition. is to. be .used. Tlrleiparitition.structurecomprises, in. general, two. sets -.of -partition members-or strips I Brand; 2.0, respectively, .the .set. of partition membersor. strips, Ill. being wider. than the other .set. of. strips. 29.. In the present.example,.thelwider. strips iii. are. shownextending transversely .of the. box but this is merely a matter of. choiceor. expediency. inasmuchasthepartitionin any form may .beprovidedjust. as wellwithsaidwider. strips. I0. extending lengthwise. of. the. box and the. narrower. strips 28 .disposedtransversely thereof As best. seen in .Fig..3,.each of-thewider strips. I Elisprovidedwith vertical cutout or slotted. areas. H at predetermined spaced points along the. length thereof as necessary to provide. the required number. and sizeof. cells tobe contained-in the. partition. structure. according to thenumber. andlsizeof bottles or othenarticles the. partition is. to accommodate. The. cutout. areas. .I I. are. formed in intermediate, spaced. relation ...to the longitudinal. edges. of. the. strip so that. said .stripcomprises relatively strong, continuous imperforate and unbroken longitudinal edge portions I21 which provide maximum'resistance against any force which might tend to tear, ruptureor mutilate the strips.

The cutout areas H areso punched as to provide a pair ofsiinilartongues I 3 extending inopposite directions and spaced apart by an intermediate slot l5 and end slots l6 adjacent the longitudinal edge portions I 2; .The junction of each tongue. 5 trwith .the'nbo'dy of the strip:is pref 1 erably score'dvas represented by broken lines H or otherwise conditioned toiacilitate bendingof'. botht tongues in the same direction asiIIustrated, in Fig. l. Preferably the tongues Hi are provided Withbevelledside edges tapering.inwardlytoward In the present example, the:

4. their free ends while the extremities of said tongues are spaced only slightly from the adjacent body portions of the strip by thin slits or knife cuts as best seen in Fig. 5.

The narrower strips 20 are of a height approximating the length of the cutout areas H in the wider -.strips.. Each of.-the-narrower-strips 20 is provided .Wlthapliis of transverse slotlike recesses 2| in predetermined spaced relation along the length thereof according to the number and size of cells to be contained in the partition structure.

The-pairsof slots Z l-have a size and spacing corresponding substantially to the size and spacing :of the tongues! tprovided in the cutout areas of .152-

.xsl'otsx2li; as shownin Fig. 6, preferably is substanthe wider-boardsii]. However, the width of the tially wider than the thickness of the tongues [4 so as to provide a suitable clearance by which saiditongues are movably received in said spaced slots 2| in what may be termed a floating lock. By -vn'tue of suchlclearance, :thejoints of themtersecting-.-partition members it, 2-13, are capable of: yielding, as necessary to accommodate bottles (ii-slightly largersizew-hile the completed partition: otherwise I is adapted to fold more readily to. flatwise: condition. The spaced slots 2! are formed. in inwardlyv spaced relation to the-z longitudinaledges vofthenarrower strip-2 also that said stripcomprises, likewise. continuous, imperforate and.unbroken longitudinaledge portions 22ew-hich are. relatively. strong anddurable and capableof providihgmaximum resistance against-any force which would tear or mutilate the .same if notched or. slotted. along such= longitudinal edges. The stripifl is additionallystrengthenedby an imperforateportionfifi ofthe -body oithe strip between saidspacedslots, 2 I The strips 28 z referably. are provided- .ontheir :ends. with bevelled orchamferedcorners 2:1, Fig. 3, which facilitate the-initial insentioniof, the strips throughthe cutout areas- I l. in.the.wider strips l-lliin the assemblyof the partitionstnucture.

Fromthezforegoing, it. will be understood'that thev assembly. of. a partition-structure in accordancewiththe invention is easilyand quickly effected. by passing. a set of;the narrower-strips-im through. the.aligned cutouts It in a set of the widerstrips- It. The narrower strips 2i] "maybe insertedirom either- .end and-thebevel-led corners 2]. thereof serve to facilitate the initial entrance. thercofjintothe cutout. areas l-linthe wider stripslIl. Asithe. leading end of-a narrower strip 20 en gages the tongues 14, both-of said tongues bend: outwardly in the same direction as seen in Fig. 4 by reason of the scoring ll. This permits the narrowerstripslfl tobe advanced readily through each-.oflthe aligned cutouts .IJ inasetof the wider stripsillto their final location in. the partition structure in .which I the spaced. slots" 2 I thereinare inspositionto receive the tongues 14 of the associatedcutouts II in the wider strips iii. The bevelled-side edges of the tongues l4 facilitate the entrancethereof into-said. spaced slots 2i, whereuponsaid tongues M-return to their normalpositioniin. theplane of thestrip Hlas shownyin Figs..2,.-5 and 6.. Inasmuch as theextremities;of the, tongues M are separated only bythin slits from the. adjacent body portions of the strip l0, said-tongues are disposed in abutting relation with-substantially: the iull thickness of the. marginaliside wallsxof saidslotsl'l', as seenin Fig. 5;.

to .provide .a-strong and positive interlocked-joint of.-.the...intersecting,portionsof the-strips m, 20.;

Inrthis regard, :ahighly effective joint is provided meanalternate: construction comprising: similar;

spaced tongues at the same side of the cutout H. and extending in the same direction. The invention fully contemplates such an alternate construction and any equivalent arrangement of tonguessuch as three or four or more tongues extending either in the same direction or in alternately opposite directions, as may be readily understood.

In the present preferred-embodiment of the invention, the arrangement of the pairs of spaced tongues 14 in oppositely extending relation provides for a balanced and equal securing or looking action of said tongues in the spaced slots 2| in a manner whereby the narrower strips 20 are interlocked at each joint with the wider strips l against displacement in either direction from assembled position in the completed partition structure. In this relation, the formation of the spaced slots 2| in a width somewhat greater than the thickness of the tongues l4 provides the necessary clearance for a floating lock of said tongues in said recesses, as aforesaid, so that each cell in the partition is capable of limited expansion to accommodate slightly larger size bottles if necessary. This clearance of the tongues I4 in the spaced slots 2| and the scoring of said tongues, as along the broken lines l'l, Figs. 3 and 5, provide for any required flexing of the tongues as necessary to permit the assembled partition to be easily and quickly folded into a flatwise condition for shipping or storage. Such folding of the partition to flat or collapsed condition does not release any of the various interlocked joints provided by the tongues 14 seated in the spaced slots 22, as aforesaid, and this advantageously prevents displacement of any of the strips of an assembled partition during shipping or handling in folded condition; thus, when a folded partition is distended for use, it is practically certain that each of the partition strips will be found in proper assembled position ready for insertion of the partition into a box or case without need for adjustment or other handling.

It will be appreciated that each of the strips I0, 20, in the partition, comprises an unbroken, continuous and imperforate longitudinal edge portion on both sides thereof which provides for maximum strength and resistance against tearing and. mutilation incidental to the insertion and removal of bottles from the partition. Accordingly, the invention is highly advantageous in providing a partition structure that is much more durable and capable of a much longer period of satisfactory service and extended use than those partitions requiring open notches and slots on their exposed longitudinal edges which necessarily are easily subject to tearing and destruction after a short period of use and must therefore be replaced all too frequently at an entirely inordinate cost.

A further important advantage of the invention resides in the fact that the partition member are relatively simple strips or boards which may be readily manufactured from the same materials and by the same machinery heretofore employed for making similar partitions such that no additional cost is involved and important savings are possible by reason of their relatively longer period of satisfactory service and greatly minimized replacement requirements.

While the invention has been described in detail with a specific example, such example is intended as an iillustration only, inasmuch as it will be apparent that other modifications in the construction, arrangement and general combination 6: of parts may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present embodiment, therefore, is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, with all changes falling within the scope, meaning and range of equivalency of the claims intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a partition structure, a partition strip having a cutout extending transversely thereof and defining a pair of oppositely extending spaced tongues in said cutout, and a narrower partition strip extending through said cutout and provided with a pair of spaced slots receiving said pair of oppositelyextending spaced tongues in an inter locked joint therewith, said cutout and said spaced slots being formed in the respective partition strips entirely within the longitudinal edges thereof so that each of said partition strips comprises continuous and imperforate portions along both of its longitudinal edges providing maximum resistance against tearing and mutilation of the partition strips.

2. A partition structure comprising a set of partition strips in parallel spaced relation and having aligned cutouts extending transversely of the strips defining pairs of oppositely extending spaced tongues in said cutouts, and a narrower partition strip extending through said aligned cutouts and provided with pairs of transversely extending spaced slots receiving said pairs of oppositely extending spaced tongues in interlocked joints therewith, said cutouts and said spaced slots being formed in the respective partition strips entirely within the longitudinal edges thereof so that each of said partition strips comprises continuous and imperforate portions along both of its longitudinal edges providing maximum resistance against tearing and mutilation of the partition strips.

3. In a partition structure, a partition strip having a cutout extending transversely thereof and defining a pair of oppositely extending spaced tongues in said cutout, each of said tongues being scored at its junction to the strip and having its side edges bevelled inwardly toward the extremity thereof, and a narrower partition strip extending through said cutout and provided with a pair of spaced slots receiving said pair of oppositely extending spaced tongues in an interlocked joint therewith, said cutout and said spaced slots being formed in the respective partition strips entirely within the longitudinal edges thereof so that each of said partition strips comprises continuous and imperforate portions along both of its longitudinal edges providing maximum resistance against tearing and mutilation of the partition strips.

4. A partition structure comprising a set of partition strips in parallel spaced relation and having aligned cutouts extending transversely of the strips and defining pairs of oppositely extending spaced tongues in said cutouts, and a set of narrower partition strips extending through said aligned cutouts and provided with pairs of transversely extending spaced slots receiving said pairs of oppositely extending spaced tongues in interlocked joints therewith, said cutouts and said spaced slots being formed in the respective partition strips entirely within the longitudinal edges thereof so that each of said partition strips comprises continuous and imperforate portions along 7 both of it'sdongitudinaledges providing maximum resistance against tearing and mutilation of the partition strips.

5. A partition structure comprising a set of partition: strips in parallel spaced relation and having aligned cutouts extending transversely of the strips and defining pairs of oppositely extending spacedtongues in said cutouts, each of said tonguesibeing scored at its junction to the strip and having its side edges bevelled inwardly toward the free end thereof, andaset of narrower partition strips extending through said aligned cutouts and provided with pairs of transversely extending spaced slots receiving said pairs of opposit'ely extending spaced tongues in interlocked joints therewith, said cutouts and said spaced slots. being formed in the respective partition REFERENGES 'GITED" The following references are of recordinthe fil'e of this patent:

UNITED-,STATESHPATENTS Number Name Date 874;782 ,Mathy,4 "Dec. 24, "190? 1', 197,506 Lie Doyen -Sept. 5', 1916 15281-341 Navarro Mar-.3','1'92'5 

